Blood Sport: Examining the Ancient Mesoamerican Ballgame

Figure 1: Source: Miller and Houston, 1987

Mesoamerica is home to several pre-Hispanic civilizations, including the Olmec, Zapotec, Maya, Toltec, and Aztec.  All of these groups have been widely studied, and while each is unique in their own way they had several cultural elements in common.  Today’s blog post will focus on one of those elements: the Mesoamerican ball game (Figure 1).  Remarkably similar to modern soccer this game was an important part of Mesoamerican cultures for both entertainment and religious ritual purposes.  This blog post will explore the various aspects of the game, including its origin, purpose, and game play.

The Mesoamerican ball game was first created by the Olmec in the Preclassic Period (2500-100 BCE).  While it is unclear what initiated the creation of this game it is clear that it held quite a bit of importance to Mesoamerican groups as it was widely played among all cultural groups and is still played today, although not with the original rules (and you will see why shortly).  The game is believed to have originated from the Hero Twin myth that is chronicled in the Mayan text, the Popul Vuh.  According to the legend the gods of life spared off against the gods of death in a ball game death match that the gods of life lost.  They were decapitated and their blood impregnated a female goddess who eventually gave birth to the Hero Twins.  These twins avenged their fathers’ deaths by facing the gods of death in a rematch, beating them and bringing forth new life onto the Earth. 

Figure 2: Xochicalco Ball Court, an example of one of many ball courts throughout Mesoamerica

The purpose of the ball game is meant to mimic this legend, although it was played for entertainment purposes, too.  Ball courts (Figure 2) were often found in several ritual centers, and there were anywhere from two to several dozen ball courts in any location.  It is believed that at least one court was reserved for play by the gods, which may have also been where the highly specialized and ritualized ball games took place, and the remaining courts were used for entertainment purposes.  It is known that these ball games were often accompanied by gambling by spectators who would bet on which team they thought would win.

The ball game was a very dangerous game in and of itself.  Only young men were allowed to play this game, which involved moving a large and heavy rubber ball across a stone court into a stone hoop.  This seems like a simple endeavor, but the catch was that the players could not use their hands, feet, or calves.  They could use any other body part, but they had to do so carefully because the ball was known to be able to break bones.  Therefore players would wear protective gear on their wrists, arms, knees, legs, hips, and head.  Players who were successful at winning received high levels of prestige and celebrity among their respective societies, but the losers met a less favorable fate.  They were ultimately sacrificed to the god Tlahuizca-pantecuhtli-Quetzalcoatl, who would bring about the rainy seasons and a plentiful harvest out of satisfaction for this sacrifice.  This encouraged play of the game because without it Mesoamerican groups believed that they would anger the gods and not receive the life-giving rains and harvests in payment for their homage.

In conclusion the Mesoamerican ball game was quite prevalent in the past, and while not played to the same extent today it remains popular in its new (nonlethal) incarnation.  Reminiscent to modern soccer this life or death match held incredible importance in all Mesoamerican cultures.  Be it for entertainment or ritual the Mesoamerican ball game was a mainstay of Mesoamerican life, and one that continues to fascinate scholars today.

References

Cartwright, Mark.  2013.  “The Ball Game of Mesoamerica.”  Ancient History Encyclopedia.

 

Kowalewski, Stephen A., Gary M. Feinman, Laura Finsten, Richard E. Blanton.  1993.  “Pre-hispanic Ballcourts from the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico.” in Scarborough, Vernon L., and David R. Wilcox, eds. The Mesoamerican Ballgame. University of Arizona Press.

 

Miller, M. E., & Houston, S. D. 1987. The Classic Maya ballgame and its architectural setting: a study of relations between text and image. RES: Anthropology and Aesthetics, 14(1), 46-65.

Uriate, Maria Teresa.  1998.  “The Mesoamerican Ball Game.”  Voices of Mexico. 

 

Von Winning, Hasso.  1985.  Paraphernalia for the Ceremonial Ball Game in Ancient Mexico.  Southwest Museum, Los Angeles, California